Skip to content
REPORT (COM(2025)0472 – C100192/2025 – 2025/0260(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the non-application of customs duties on imports of certain goods

A-10-2026-0070

Committee on International Trade · Rapporteur: Bernd Lange

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation suspends customs duties on certain US goods, mainly lobster, retroactively from 1 August 2025 until 31 December 2028, and empowers the Commission to adopt delegated acts to suspend duties in whole or in part under specified circumstances. It requires the Commission to publish evaluation reports by six months after entry into force and by 30 June 2028, and allows for a possible extension proposal.

Committee position. The Committee on International Trade proposes to amend the Commission proposal to apply duties retroactively until 31 December 2028, change implementing acts to delegated acts, and add evaluation and reporting requirements.

Key points

  1. The regulation suspends customs duties on imports of goods classified under CN codes listed in the Annex, applying retroactively from 1 August 2025 until 31 December 2028.
  2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts to amend the Annex and suspend in whole or in part the application of Article 1 in circumstances such as US imposing additional tariffs exceeding 15% or modifying product classification to raise tariffs.
  3. Suspension can also occur if the US is likely to act in that manner, or if there is a change of circumstances including serious human rights breaches, threats to essential security interests, or economic dimensions.
  4. Delegated acts suspending duties apply no later than until 31 December 2028; the Commission may adopt further delegated acts to reinstate duties if reasons no longer apply.
  5. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred until 31 December 2028, revocable by Parliament or Council, with consultation of Member State experts and objection period of two months.
  6. Customs authorities must ensure products benefiting from 0% duties actually originate in the US and are not re-exported or transported through third countries to avoid circumvention.
  7. The Commission must publish a provisional evaluation report six months after entry into force and a comprehensive report by 30 June 2028, possibly with a legislative proposal for extension.
  8. The budgetary assessment notes the estimated annual impact of forgone duties on certain lobster is EUR 7.5 million and on prepared lobster about EUR 48,000, and deems the proposal compatible with the multiannual financial framework.

Who is affected

  • US exporters of live, frozen, and processed lobster benefit from continued duty-free access to the EU market until 2028.
  • EU customs authorities must verify origin of goods to prevent circumvention.
  • EU producers may be affected by increased competition; the Commission must evaluate impact on them.

Figures and deadlines

  • 15% tariff ceiling triggering suspension if US imposes additional tariffs above it.
  • 31 December 2028: end date for application of regulation and delegated acts.
  • 1 August 2025: retroactive start date.
  • 30 June 2028: deadline for comprehensive evaluation report.
  • EUR 7.5 million: estimated annual budgetary impact of forgone duties on certain lobster.
  • EUR 48,000: estimated annual budgetary impact for prepared or processed lobster.

Legal basis: Article 294(2) and Article 207(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union